Show METH N TT 1 LORD METHUEN t I I I t Ht I t The capture of General Lord Methuen by the Boer Doer General will have a marked effect upon upon up up- on the issues of the war For some reason or other othet- Methuen is a large quantity at the tile British War office and we have lune been surprised to observe that so so good a field commander as Kitchener seems to think well of him t t r Lord ord Methuen is wounded and a prisoner and it would be hardly becoming to speak severely of him There is no doubt that he lie is a brave man There is equally no doubt that he is anything but buta a gr great t general A more foolish campaign than thap he conducted when he was given the chance of ofa ofa ofa a soldiers soldier's life in the expedition for the relief of Kimberly has never passed into history The batI battle bat bat- I tIe tle of Modder River strategically considered would have been a disgrace to the youngest lieutenant out of West Wes Point Methuen was on notice that Cronje held an impregnable position at l and andt t that at t the e. e natural thing for him to do would be to nove move down and dispute the passage of the r river er in in- g what damage he lie could upon the British force It is presumable that Lord Methuen was not nota i I a it reader eader of of military hi history tory If he h had Jd been lie he would have hate called to mind the great tactical play that General Thomas made in identical C s 's stances e Jl jie pe marched out o from his is fortifications fortifications at Nashville and intercepted General Hoods Hood's c J advancing army array It was a fatal mistake on Hoods Hood's part that he accepted battle That he lie did re resulted in his striking the elaborate defences of Nashville hi iii i n crippled condition Thomas had pounded him and then promptly retired behind his entrench entrench- ments That was exactly what Cronje did to Lord Methuen at Modder River and an interesting fact fart in ill the connection is s that Paul raul Hood son of the general general genral gen gen- eral ral who learned learne a bitter lesson fro from Pap Thomas at Columbia and nd Nashville was Cronje's a adjutant general and probably suggested the strategy which no doubt resulted in prolonging the I South African jean war wa by at least two years Jear Lord is a typical British soldier Heis He TIe Heis is a brave fellow tellow but when that has been said there is nothing l left ft to say y There is not a Cowboy on a Utah Utah- ranch who could not give him cards and spades when if omes to strategy and tac tactics ics But in this respeCt respect h lick he is not unique Of all the commanders com coin manders mandels wh who have have hav been prominent pi in the Boer war war- if we ex except Gen Generals rals Roberts and Kitchener who really w would rank rank- with soldiers liLe our Miles and Chaffee there hardly has been beeri a man developed d capa capable le of handling a bat battalion battalio alion General Gener French is the one brilliant exception 1 His flank movement in which he turned Cronje left at will live live live-in in military history as a splendid achieve achieve- ment By that movement he saved Methuen's army which its ip incompetent chief had tied up hopelessly hopelessly hope hope- lessly in a cal cul d de ae sac Methuen is hard hit and in inthe the hands of of- hi his enemies His career as s a soldier ought to be le over A A. poorer fie field d commander it has never nevel b been en our province to criticize |